Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a 772,200 square mile landmass in north-east Africa loosely comprising parts of Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti and southern Ethiopia. Home to some 100 million people, the area is experiencing the worst drought and famine condition since the middle of the last century. Earlier this year the United Nations World Food Programme warned the "WFP so far has 44 per cent of the resources it needs to feed 5.22 million people in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Karamoja region of eastern Uganda from April through September”. Since then the situation has deteriorated placing millions at risk of starvation.

The reasons for this reflect the fact that the Horn of Africa has suffered from a lack of rainfall for a number of years leading to crop failure and the deaths of scores of animals which in turn has led to a severe food shortage in the region. Already heavily reliant on outside sources of food, the drought and famine in Somalia this year has been so bad even the militant group al-Habab has lifted its ban on humanitarian aid being allowed into the country as an estimated quarter of the population of Somalia have been displaced through the famine and drought.

The seriousness of the drought situation in the Horn is underlined by the facts:

1.2 million people in Kenya are in chronic need of food
50% of Somali children who have fled to Ethiopia are in chronic need of food.
Across the region some 12,000,000 people are affected

Camps have been set up at Dadaab in Kenya into which thousands are pouring everyday overwhelming its available resources. The camp was built for 90,000 people however as of July 2011 its population had exceeded 370,000. (the three camps at Dadabb were initially established in 1991 and are run by Care.) Many children who arrive there are dead within days from illness, exhaustion, starvation and dehydration. Other camps set up in Ethiopia are also reaching breaking point with further camps planned.

AID agencies including Save the Children, ActionAid, World Vision, Oxfam and UNICEF are appealing for £93m not to resolve the crisis but simply to manage it. You can help by visiting their sites and making a much needed donation to prevent this crisis becoming a disaster:

UNICEF
ActionAid
Oxfam
Save the Children
World Vision

What happens to your money after donated? Initially the immediate needs of those affected by the drought are met in terms of shelter, food, water and healthcare provision. Water trucks are travelling to villages not only to maintain the villagers but to encourage them to remain in their homes so as not to place further pressure on the emerging displacement camps. Engineers also attempt to repaid broken well and boreholes where there is existing water. Attempts are also being made to provide care for the affected animals for it is these animals who in the long term will provide food and milk supplies for their owners.

Inevitably any assistance provided to those in need in the Horn of Africa needs a long term strategy or the current situation will re-occur year in year out. Organisations in the area are already working with communities to help them move away from crops such as maize which all too often fail due to a lack of water to crops which are more resilient such as millet and sorghum. More efficient irrigation schemes are also being rolled to maximise water opportunities.If you are familiar with this www.child-sponsorship.com website you will be aware of our concerns about conditions in the Horn of Africa for some time. You can explore some of the issues in more depth in the articles linked to below.